Mocs Softball Drops First Two Games of the Year in Tournament in Louisiana

(gomocs.com) NATCHITOCHES, LA. — The Chattanooga Mocs softball team suffered a two-game sweep, falling 7-1 to UT Martin in game one before a narrow 1-0 loss to Northwestern State in game two at the NHDDC Lady Diamond Classic in Natchitoches, La. on Friday afternoon.

Chattanooga opens the season 0-2 for just the third time since 2014. UT Martin and Northwestern State both began the season 1-0.

Chattanooga is back in action tomorrow afternoon, taking on Baylor and Arkansas Pine Bluff. First pitch vs. Baylor is slated for 5:30 p.m. (EST). The contest vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff will follow.

GAME 1 RECAP
In the top of the first, Kailey Snell reached on an error, she put herself into scoring position with Chattanooga’s first stolen base of the season. In her first at-bat of her collegiate career, Presley Williamson hit a double in the left center gap to put the Mocs on the board, driving in Snell.

UT Martin answered in the bottom half with an RBI single followed by a three-run homer. The Seahawks never surrendered their lead, adding a run in the third, fifth and sixth to take home the 7-1 season-opening victory.

Izzy Alley got the start in the circle for the Mocs going five innings, allowing five earned runs, three walks and striking out one. Reagan Lowrie came on in relief in the sixth and allowed a run and three hits.

UT Martin’s Alexis Groet got the win, going five innings and allowing just one run on one hit with seven K’s.

The Seahawks’ Kaci Fuller went 2-for-3 with three RBI and scored two runs.

GAME 1 – UTM 7, UTC 1 |
SCORING PLAYS
T1st: Presley Williamson (UTC) doubled to left center, RBI. (UTC 1-0)
B1st: Kallie Pickens (UTM) singled to left field, RBI. (1-1)
B1st: Kaci Fuller (UTM) homered to left field, 3 RBI. (UTM 4-1)
B3rd: Anna Hazlewood (UTM) grounded out the 2B, RBI. (UTM 5-1)
B5th: Maddi Long (UTM) singled up the middle, RBI, unearned. (UTM 6-1)
B6th: Kaci Kelly (UTM) singled to center field, RBI. (UTM 7-1)

WP: Alexis Groet (1-0)
LP: Izzy Alley (0-1)
SV: None

Notable: 

• In her first collegiate at-bat in the top of the first, Williamson logged an RBI double. Williamson is the first freshman to drive in the season’s first run since Anyssa Robles in 2013.
• Olivia Lipari (1-for-3) recorded her first career hit with a single in the seventh.
• The Mocs have stolen a base in each of the last two season openers.

GAME 2 RECAP
Both pitchers were dominant early in the circle, allowing no hits the first time through the lineup. UTC and NSU both got into the hit column in the fourth, but both pitchers got out of a jam with a runner on third.

The two teams were scoreless entering the bottom of the sixth. With one out in the home half, Northwestern State’s Lanie Roos hit the 1-0 pitch over the wall in center to give the hosts the first lead of the game.

The Demons’ Sage Hoover retired the Mocs in order in the top of the seventh to secure the shutout. She struck out 10 in seven innings of work, allowing two hits and hitting two batters.

Parrott tossed six innings, allowing two hits, an infield single to second in the fourth and the sixth inning home run. The junior fanned a career-best six batters and walked two.
Williamson continued her strong Opening Day resume with a 1-for-3 outing and another double. She picked up one of Chattanooga’s two stolen bases.

Emily Coltharp logged the other Chattanooga base hit.

GAME 2 – NSU 1, UTC 0  | 
SCORING PLAYS
B6: Laney Roos (NSU) homered to center (NSU 1-0)

WP: Sage Hoover (1-0)
LP: Brooke Parrott (0-1)

Notable: 

• Parrott had previously recorded five strikeouts in a game three times in her career. This is the second time she has allowed just two hits in a game (last vs. Furman, 4/25/21).
• Adison Keylon tallied her fourth career stolen base.
• Williamson is the first Moc to hit a double in each of the first two games of the season since Sarah Beth Roberts in 2015.

Series history:
Chattanooga now leads the all-time series over UT Martin 25-11 and 10-2 over Northwestern State.